Servitude, Scars and Sanctuary
by DuskApproaches
Summary: I remember when I ran. When I broke free of my chains with hope that I will make something out of myself. I found myself in the Whiterun guard not long after. I finally felt free and at peace with an exception of the nightmares. But one day, a warrior was made thane as quickly as he arrived in Whiterun. My Jarl offered me a chance to be his housecarl. Was accepting a good idea?
1. Prologue Part 1

AN: When I wrote this I wrote 15.000 words chapters and had two chapters in total. But uploading that would be absurd. No one wants to read a story with 15.000 word chapters that are only updated once every few months. I am quite new to uploading stories to this site so I apologise for anything wrong with the format. Let me know if there's anything wrong and I'll fix it (assuming I know how)

Prologue: The Framed and the Caged

The rumbling uneven surface awoke the rather young man sitting in the wagon. He had long black hair tied in a ponytail that hung all the way down to his waist. He furled his eyebrows as he observed his surroundings and realised his hands were bound.

"Hey you," the blond Nordic man sitting in front called out to him. "You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that imperial ambush just like me and that thief over there."

The man in question turned his head towards the man in rags.

He noticed that the nord was wearing armour. Light armour, hardly enough to protect one from attacks, but the blue across the centre possibly symbolised an allegiance to an army. He quickly focused his attention to the thief whom began speaking.

"Damn you, Stormcloaks! Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I could have stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell. You there," the thief said turning to the long-haired man. "You and I, we shouldn't be here. It's these stormcloaks the empire wants."

He finished, snarling at the blond nord.

"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief," the blond nord said in a calm voice.

"Shut up back there!" the carriage driver called out.

"What's his problem?" asked the thief completely ignoring the driver. To the right of the thief, there was another nord wearing fur with his mouth gagged unlike all other prisoners.

"Watch your tongue!" the blond snapped. "You are speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true high king."

"You. You're the leader of the rebellion," the thief's eyes widened in realisation. "If they've captured you—oh gods! Where are they taking us?"

"I don't know," replied the blond nord, his composure returning. "But Sovngarde awaits."

"No!" the thief panicked. "This can't be happening! This isn't happening."

"Does denying the truth make you feel better, thief?" The long-haired man finally spoke. The thief didn't reply. He merely buried his face in his hands wishing to wake up from this nightmare.

"Why are you upset? You want to be free…don't you?"

The thief didn't reply so they stayed in silence waiting for the gods to decide their fate. The blond nord decided to break the silence as they crossed a bridge.

"What village are you from, horse thief?"

"Why do you care?" the thief replied quickly still panicked, not without good reason.

"A nord's last thought should be of home."

"Rorikstead. I'm from Rorikstead."

"What about you, kinsman," the blond turned to the man in front of him.

He clicked his tongue as though deciding whether or not to answer.

"Down south… Elsweyr"

"A northerner from the south...I'll never hear the end of that."

"Me, neither. I travelled near a year just to get killed. Good thing I didn't make any plans then..."

The wagons made their way into a city surrounded by stone walls. The sight gave the blond soldier a strong sense of nostalgia.

"Funny. When I was a boy, imperial walls and soldiers made me feel so safe." the soldier muttered.

"You are a not a boy anymore," came the reply from across of him. "Do you regret joining the rebellion?"

"Never," the soldier answered, his voice rising with confidence.

"Good," the once across from him replied. "That's all the matters when you die."

"Why are we stopping?" asked the thief as the wagon came to a halt.

"What do you think? End of the line."

"Do not be afraid. Fear isn't going to save you."

-Prologue 2, freedom

A strong boot to her back sent the young girl crashing into the floor.

"CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT?" came an indignant voice from a large muscular man stretching out a whip in his hand as he approached. He did not scream, but his voice was still loud enough to boom through the empty mansion.

"I'm sorry," the young girl barely choked out.

The man put his right foot onto her head and pushed downward forcing out a small scream.

"I'm sorry… what?"

"I'm sorry, master," the young girl whispered with the last of her energy.

"Good." The man cracked his whip in the air. "Now stand up."

Many slaves of the imperial city were born into slavery and have never experienced freedom. How can there be slaves in the imperial city, though? Slavery was long banned. Well, the answer is simple. If there is one thing that is stronger than the law it would be wealth. Despite these unfortunate happenings, the girl was different. She lived a normal life in the early days. She had ambitions and, where there is a will, there is a way. Her body held together by her soul, she continued on living her life in chains. She knew that one day she would break free. She had been planning that day for months.

Today was that day.

Everything went according to plan. She provoked the master enough for him to lose his concentration due to blinding emotions of anger and contempt. This caused her ongoing pain that was so agonising she could hardly think, but the provocation led to the result of being thrown into her cage with two keys now in the girl's possession.

_Finally! After all this time, _the young girl thought as she held the keys in her hand like the most precious gems in the world. But, then again, for her nothing is more precious than the freedom the keys will bring. _If these are the wrong keys, I'm going to kill myself._

She fumbled with the lock until managing to open it. Quietly crawling out of the room towards the back door, she took out her second key. Slowly turning the key to not make a single sound, the door opened with a faint click. She opened the door only a little crack no more than a few centimetres but she was able to easily slip through.

_Who's laughing at not feeding me now...master?_

The Nordic man could not help but let out a small chuckle as the cart closed in on its destination.

"What could possibly be funny at the dusk of our lives?" the soldier asked him. It was impossible to tell his tone. It was a mix of anger and distress.

"Is this how my people greet their kinsman? Skyrim is my home, and I'm being killed for no reason at all by my kin."

The carts ran over a bump as it came to a stop. A Nordic man with a paper and quill in his hands stood before the prisoners.

"Come as I call your name," he said calmly. "Ralof of riverwood." He did not look up from his parchment as Ralof joined the stormcloaks surrounding the chopping block.

"Lokir of Rorikstead."

"Wait!" Lokir shouted. "I'm not a rebel! You can't do this!" His pleas fell on deaf ears. Nothing could change an imperial soldier's mind, not even reason. But Lokir's will to survive was too strong. And it motivated him to run in a desperate attempt to escape even though he knew he would not be successful. He was shot down by archers almost immediately. At least he tried.

"You there!" the legionnaire called out to the nord, breaking his train of thought. "Step forward. Who are you?"

The nord stepped forward, almost close enough for them to touch.

"Will my identity change anything?" he whispered.

"What?"

"I asked you why it matters. Why would you want to know who I am?"

"When an imperial soldier asks you a question, you will answer." The soldier stated.

"No… I'm not going to do that," The nord responded. "Just remember me as the man you killed without reason." Before a reply could be made, he went to join the rebels.

"That was foolishly brave of you," Ralof muttered without turning his direction.

"I'm about to die. No need to care about anything anymore."

The young girl stayed away from the street lights. Carefully hiding in the bushes and moving from one to the other only when she was absolutely sure no one was looking. This was not the time to be risking failure. The outcome was going to be either success or failure. If she is caught, even if the master doesn't kill her, she will. Sneaking through the bushes was the easy part. The hard part would be getting through the gate. She belonged to an influential clan. If the guards saw her, they would surely take her back.

Two guards stood watch beside the gate. Their minds clear, their eyes open on the lookout for any and all disturbances that could happen in the darkness of the night. So, the girl did what anyone would do to attract a guard's attention. Explode the town square. The town square was almost set up for an explosion. Torches decorating the pillars, bowls of fat aligned on the shelf of the market stall. Everything was perfect. The light show was more than enough to get all the guards of the city running towards the centre. Yet, it did not make enough sound to awaken any citizens. Or ones willing to investigate the disturbance.

While the guards were concluding the fire was an accident, the girl was opening the gates. She opened them slightly and sidestepped out. A voice from behind made her heart skip a beat.

"Hey! Where are you going?" She turned around slowly to face the guards. How could she have been so stupid? There are also city guards on the outside of the gates.

"Wait," the second guard began, "I recognise you." That was the cue for her to run as fast as she could. She made it too far to give up now. The guards chased after her. But their heavy armour quickly did its toll on their stamina.

After almost one hour of sprinting, the girl collapsed beside a tree.

_Finally, _she thought. _Now, I just need to go back… go back to Skyrim._

A roar from the distance caught the attention of many. Most were just curious or frightened. But the eyes of one man in ragged clothing widened. The roar to him was far more than a simple sound. The roar dug into the depths of his soul.

"Problem?" Ralof asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No. Just wondering what made that sound." He lied. When did telling the truth do any good?

"Yeah. Me, too. Not like it matters anymore."

The next few minutes were quick. General Tullius gave a short speech directed at Ulfric. He mentioned that Ulfric used the power of the voice to murder the high king. The prisoner perked up at the mention of the voice, but he had never heard of such a power before.

The mention of the voice seemed to cause another roar in the distance. The roar was significantly closer this time meaning whatever that may be causing it was traveling at a speed men and mer will never achieve.

"What was that?" asked one of the legionnaires.

"Probably nothing. Carry on," Tullius quickly replied as he left the spotlight.

"Give them their last rights," ordered an imperial captain. Her facial features were mostly covered by the legion helmet. The rest of her body was clad in steel exposing no skin, exposing no weakness. In response to her orders, an older woman dressed in humble monk robes began her speech. The speech was like any generic speech heard at an execution but something about the speech was off. When she mentioned the divines she said eight divines instead of nine. What happened to the last one?

"Shut up and let's get this over with," a stormcloak said marching up to the headsman's block. "What are you waiting for? I haven't got all morning!"

The general walked up behind him and pushed him onto the block.

"My ancestors are smiling at me, imperials," he stated with hatred in his last sentence. "Can you say the same?"

That was all that escaped his lips as the axe sliced through the fragile material known as flesh.

_His last words showed his patriotism and his hatred for his enemies, _the ragged prisoner thought. _I might have respected that a few years back._

"As fearless in death, as he was in life." Ralof said those words with no emotion.

The prisoner was about to respond, but he was cut off by a strange voice in his head. The voice was deep and crackling with a strange accent. He was able to make out what it said but no idea what it meant. _Zu lost siiv hin, dovahkiin._

"Next. The nord with the woman's hair," the captain announced. The man she called signed at the comment she made about his hair but didn't do anything other than that. Swiftly, he kneeled and placed his head on the iron block, staining his face with the blood of his kinsman. The headsman readied his axe but was disturbed by a shout from an imperial.

"What in oblivion is that!?"

Something landed on the watchtower. It was dark as the night and bigger than the houses. It… shouted… at least it seems like it did. As the voice escaped the dragon's jaws, a cyclone appeared in the middle of the sky. The second shout knocked most people off their feet.

"Stand up, kinsman!" Ralof shouted at the prisoner. "The gods won't give us another chance!"

The prisoner's movements were swift as he cut off his binds with the headsman's axe and jumped up to follow Ralof. They ran into another watchtower and closed the door.

"What was that? Could the legends be true?" Ralof panicked at Ulfric.

"Legends don't burn down villages," Ulfric replied keeping his calm posture.

The Nordic prisoner saw no time for chatting and sprinted up the stairs. Part of the roof had collapsed and another stormcloak was making an effort to move the debris. He was almost successful, but the walls broke and crushed the stormcloak underneath the stone bricks.

"VOL TOOR SHUL!" Came a voice from the dragon forcing endless flames into the building. The prisoner nearly fell down backwards from the raw force. He leaned against the wall until the dragon left. Then, he quickly jumped from the tower into the ruins of a house below. Jumping down five metres is never easy, but this was not his first time taking a leap of faith. He tumbled forward softening his fall and vaulted over the handrail to the ground floor. Upon running out the door, he was greeted by the same man who had sent him to the block only a few minutes ago.

"Still alive, prisoner? Stay close to me if you want to stay that way!" The soldier shouted as he ran. Seeing no other choice, the ex-prisoner followed. They reached the door to Helgen Keep unfortunately crossing paths with the stormcloak from earlier.

"Ralof, you damned traitor! Out of my way."

"We're escaping. You're not stopping us this time, Hadvar."

Strange. They refer to each other by name. Perhaps they have known each other before the petty civil war started. Both men urged the prisoner into their companionship. But he knew better than to team up with an imperial.

What a day. First day in skyrim, and I'm sentenced to execution for no damn reason. Oh, well. If the fates decide that I die, who am I to stop it? I was not upset. I came to Skyrim to find peace. I guess death is peace in a way.

I laid down my head on the headsman's block. I am not one to fear death. I understood that death is simply a byproduct of life. Yet, before my life ended, something showed up. I have no description for what I saw. In the chaos it caused, I managed to escape into Helgen Keep with Ralof, a brother in binds.

We ran into the keep to see another stormcloak lying beside a table. Ralof swiftly dashed towards him to check for a pulse. There was none. Ralof offered for me to take his armour and weapon. The armour would prove more practical that my traveller's gear, but I was never a fan of blunt weaponary. In fact, I could do better with my hands than with a war axe. I pulled on the vest and pants, but instead of wrapping the scarf around my torso, I wrapped it around my head hiding everything other than my eyes. I wouldn't want anyone to remember me. I heard the clicking sounds of metallic gear hitting the floor. Imperials no doubt. Ralof and I took respective positions on each side of the gate. I held my breath as the footsteps closed in on our location. Any sound I made at this point could give away my position. Without the element of surprise, I would be at a disadvantage.

The two rushed in, and the imperial captain almost immediately spotted Ralof. That was good for both of us as the small distraction was enough time for me to take an initiative. I kicked the lightly armoured soldier's ankle, sending him falling towards the floor. The captain drew her sword and swung it in my direction. I ducked under the sword and, before she could swing again, grabbed her wrist. I rammed my head into hers with enough force to make her drop the weapon.

_God damn imperial helmets, _I thought as I held my forehead. From the corner of my eye, I saw the soldier getting up. So, to prevent him from causing an inconvenience, I unsheathed his imperial short sword and jabbed it through his neck. The captain ran towards me with her fists in the air and at the ready. I merely stood there and cocked my head at her memory. She swung her fist in my direction, but it was cut off by Ralof lodging his weapon into the back of her neck.

"Well, that was easy," I told Ralof as we descended further into the reach.

"You're not bad for someone who lived with kitty cats."

"You're pretty bad for someone who lived with soldiers."


	2. Prologue Part 2

**AN: Alright, this chapter was a little shorter than I hoped but I just couldn't find a good place to end the chapter. I'll make up for that later. Now, I am accepting editors and beta-readers. Send me a PM and we'll work something out. I am accepting OC's, I may not be able to use them now. But I would like some to use as leaders of guilds and as characters for some of my side chapters I'm planning. My side chapters will be short chapters about events other than the main storyline. Some will be used as background to normal chapters, others might just be there for fun. Anyways, enjoy my new chapter**

I dropped to my knees from exhaustion as I made it to the top of the mountain. There were no guards on the border. I guess Skyrim isn't afraid of anything from Cyrodiil. Looking down reassured me that it was all worth it. It was truly a scene to die for with a breathtaking view. The pure white snow, the bright villages, and the mystical Nordic runes. I could hardly believe all of this was real and that it was right in front of me.

My energy returned as I was overcome with excitement running downwards as fast as I could. I was not able to suppress my smile as I ran. It's a good thing no one saw me grinning like an idiot. It wouldn't be the best first impression.

The first town I saw was Whiterun. To most nords, it was just another city. To me, it was paradise. A guard politely greeted me as I entered through the gates. I was not used to receiving any sort of respect. I was going to continue heading on my way until I heard the same guard call me.

"Hey, kinswoman! Wait up!"

I turned around and ran back towards him. I didn't care what he wanted. It had been years since my last real conversation.

"Yes, sir. What can I do for you?" I almost bowed

"Sir, HA," the guard laughed. "That's a new one. Anyways, you looked like you could use some money. The city guard has new positions due to an accident a while back. I know that's not the best way to advertise but, if you are interested, report to the barracks whenever you want."

I smiled and promised to be at the barracks. If I was going to get a job, I would need a name. I kept thinking as I walked down the street. _Mmm... Lydia. Yes, that sounds about right._ I remember that name from one of my mother's tales. One of the few things I can remember from before…

I quickly rose through the ranks of the city guard. I might as well as had been the only one who actually took training seriously. I always did my best when my comrades were tired, before the training even started. The position of city guard had always been about walking around the city. Sometimes, the city guard was sent to nearby areas of interest because someone heard strange sounds which, more often than not, was a travelling bard. Travelling bards. Man, I hate those guys.

* * *

I walked along calmly as I played with my dagger. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to be calm but when has panicking done anything good, it sure didn't work out well for the horse thief. Then I saw some dust falling from the ceiling.

_Mmm, that's not a good sign, _I thought… then the rest of the roof collapsed.

"We should get out of here before the building collapses on our heads!" Ralof shouted at me as he sped up his pace.

"How about we stay here instead," I said sarcastically. Upon opening the door, I saw two imperials. Ralof almost rushed in to fight but I stopped him in time. I signalled for him to stay there as I sneaked my way towards them.

"We must hurry," an imperial in heavy armour told the other.

"Let me get some pot-" I cut him off by covering his mouth and holding my dagger to his neck. His comrade pulled out his sword instantly but I did not flinch, I merely pushed my dagger far enough into his neck for blood to drip.

"Put down your weapon, and I'll put down mine!" I ordered the other imperial.

The imperial stared at me as I gave my offer.

"I don't negotiate with criminals," he said trying to be intimidating but that wasn't working out very well.

"Sometimes, you need to realise that you have no choice," I stated to him.

He looked at his comrade and back at me. My hostage was violently nodding his head. What a fool. The soldier listened to his comrade, slowly bent down, and placed his sword on the floor.

"Good. Now, was that so hard?" I asked.

Before anyone could react, I sliced the blade right through the imperial soldier's fragile neck nearly decapitating him. The soldier in front of me tried to reach for his sword, but I did not hesitate as I jabbed my blade through his skull.

"And this...is why I would rather this dagger than your friend's axe."

"You tricked them." Ralof said condescendingly

"I killed them, let's keep moving"

* * *

There were not too many potions in the room. Just a few health potions, stamina potions, and happiness potions (otherwise known as wine). Never was a fan of potions, but they should last long enough and get me out of any dangerous situations despite how the clanking of glass vials won't be much help. Something told me these imperials were not the last obstacles.

Ralof led the way as we walked down the steps.

"Troll's blood," he muttered as he stopped.

"What is it?"

"It's a torture chamber."

"Better not keep the torturers waiting, than."

Some stormcloaks were already engaged with the torturers so killing them was easy. The assistant was distracted and did not even see me as I approached from the back. The torturer did see me but that didn't help him one bit. I looked into one of the cages. There was a mage inside still in humble mage robes. Beside him were a spell tomb and some gold pieces. The imperials must have not bothered to remove them from his person. Spell tombs were useless to me but gold was never bad. I pulled out a small pin with a curved end that I kept on my ear. I felt around the inside of the lock with the pin until I found a moveable area offering only slight resistance. I pushed down on that area and turned. The lock opened with a small click. The mage had a scared look on his face. Before leaving the cage with the gold in my pocket, I bent down to close his eyes.

The rest of the way was easy. The path led into a large room with many imperial soldiers. However, half of them were standing in a pool of spilt oil. I tossed my dagger at a torch attached to the roof. Before anyone knew what happened, there were unrecognisable corpses scattered across the floor. It was a loss that the fire engulfed a long bow one of the imperials held. Would had come in handy considering I am unarmed again. The stormcloaks offered to stay behind and wait for any other allies that may come through this way. There was no reason to deny them.

My feet sloshed through the watery path. There were many skeletons in this place. I wonder how they got here. I was relieved when I saw an opening in the wall. Perhaps we had finally found our way out. A sound from above told me otherwise as I looked up to see a family of spiders making their way towards me.

_God damn it! I hate it when this happens! _Spiders were not really dangerous. One stab was enough to kill one. But the northern ones' poison can get annoying, and those eyes… those fucking eyes. I could almost feel my blood slowing down. After the spiders, Ralof stopped me.

"Wait," Ralof whispered to me.

"Yes, I can see that bear up ahead. What do you propose we do?"

"Well, we could try to sneak past it or, if you are feeling lucky," he removed his bow from his back and handed it to me, "you could try to take it out with an arrow."

I would normally choose to sneak past and not disturb any creatures that do not disturb me but I needed every advantage I can get. That pelt on the bear looked like it would come in handy. I took a bottle of wine from my belt and threw it over the bear. The bear woke to the sound and stood on its hind legs looking for the source of the sound. My arrow travelled fast and steady lodging itself into the bear's neck. With a dagger in hand, I approached the bear and began to detach its skin from the rest of its body.

"I never understood how people could do that with a straight face," Ralof commented behind me.

"Why not?"

* * *

Before long, Ralof and I were out of the cave and into Skyrim. Ralof pushed me face first into a nearby rock and bent down beside me. Another roar was heard as the dragon flew overhead.

"There he goes. Looks like he's gone for good this time."

I nodded but knew that I was going to see him again.

"It's probably best if we split up. Good luck. I don't think I would have made it without your help today."

"I'll tag along with you. Would be safer for us if some imperials came," I replied. I discarded my makeshift mask and breathed in the cool Skyrim air. I'm quite sure that the current month is either First Seed or Rain's Hand. Yet the white cloak over this Northern Province didn't show signs of melting.

It was a fair offer, and I don't know my way around Skyrim. He offered me to follow him to Riverwood. I remember him being called Ralof of Riverwood by the imperial at Helgen.

"Wait," Ralof told me. "These are three of the thirteen standing stones that dot Skyrim's landscape. These specific three are called the guardian stones, they should amplify your proficiencies in different areas depending on which one you choose.

standing stones should make me learn particular skills faster. There was the mage stone recognisable by the man in the robe. On the right was the warrior stone having a carved image of the man in heavy armour wielding an axe with both hands. To my left was the thief stone portraying a hooded man running with a dagger in one hand and a pouch in the other. Which one of these would be more helpful to me? And where was the stone that gave me greater resistance to the stupidity of others. Oh well, this one should do me justice. A strange light was emitted from the stone and shone into the heavens.

Turns out Ralof's sister, Gerdur, ran a mill in Riverwood. Ralof sat on a tree stump and explained the events to the crowd. I stood behind and watched their reactions. Learning is much easier when one decides to listen instead of talk. Gerdur offered me items for helping Ralof but I refused. I am not the kind of person to accept rewards I did nothing to deserve. Being like that wouldn't have gotten me this far. Plus, it looks like she needs everything she has right now. The mill doesn't look like it's doing too well. She told me to inform the jarl of Whiterun about the dragon situation. It was a reasonable thing to do, but more guards in Riverwood just meant more food for the dragon. How can mere men bring down a dragon? Then again, I am not the one to make decisions for others and I do suppose that in a world with dragons anything is possible. If Gerdur will feel safe with guards in Riverwood, I will not deny her. Perhaps slaughtering the guards will take enough time for the rest of the village to evacuate. I was about to leave for Whiterun until I heard an argument coming from the trader's. I pushed my ear against the door.

"Well, one of us has to do something!" said a female voice.

"We are done talking about this," replied a male voice.

"Well, what are you going to do then, huh? Let's hear it!"

"I said no! No adventures, no theatrics, no thief-chasing!"

The speech was ended by a fist slammed onto the table. It looks like they had some sort of break-in considering the talk of thieves. Whiterun can wait. I pushed the door open and walked in pretending I didn't hear anything.

"Did something… happen in here?" I asked the man behind the counter.

"Yes, we did have a bit of a... break-in. But we still have plenty to sell. Robbers were only after one thing. An ornament, solid gold, in the shape of a dragon's claw," he replied.

"Where did they go?"

"Bleak Falls Barrow."

"I'll get it back for you."

"I have some coin coming in from my last shipment. It's yours if you can bring it back."

"I'll be back soon enough."

I was about to leave when another argument broke out between them.

"So this is your plan, Lucan?"

"Yes, so now you don't have to go do you?"

"Oh really? Well, I think your new helper here needs a guide. "

"Wh-no … I … Oh, by the Eight, fine. But only to the edge of town!" He said eight instead of nine again. I heard about the outlaw of Talos in imperial provinces but I didn't think Skyrim would be so accepting of it. The war doesn't seem like a surprise anymore.

And so I followed Camilla to the edge of town where she stopped and pointed at a faraway ruin. Bleak Falls Barrow. Ralof mentioned it when we were walking to Riverwood.

"That's quite a brother you have."

"Yep, still treating me like a child. Maybe one day I'll move out, start my own shop somewhere else. Live my life without limits."

"I know what you mean. Maybe I'll bring you with me next time."

Camilla thought about that for a while. She turned to me again.

"I'd like that." she said. And, just like that, she was gone. Making friends with the citizens already, I suppose I'll be alright in Skyrim. Then a wolf jumped at me.


	3. 1: Bandits and Draugrs

**AN: Hey, what's up gg. This chapter was uploaded 2 days later than I planned but my internet stopped working for a few days. Anyways, I am still accepting OC's of every kind in case anyone's asking. Send me a PM if you have questions and suggestions and the like instead of a review. I read all reviews but it's easier to know when I've got a PM. Well, enjoy the first official chapter of the most retarded elder scrolls fanfiction in the world. **

_Skyrim sure is cold, _I thought to myself as I realised it was snowing in the middle of what should be spring.

That was the only thing in my mind as I reached the ruins. The ruins were old but they stood strong. I heard a sound from my right and ducked just in time as an arrow flew over me. That's when the bandits started coming. Three were running at me with swords and maces, two staying away with bows and arrows. One was faster than the others and got to me first. He clumsily swung his mace. I grabbed his wrist and pushed my knee into his crotch. He dropped his mace but before it hit the ground, I took it into my hands and crushed his neck below it. The other two bandits came at me the same time. I sidestepped to the right dodging the sword coming at me from above. I felt wind on my back and jumped out of the way resulting in the arrow planting itself inside the bandit instead of me. The last bandit jabbed his sword in my direction. When he tried to retract it after he missed I crouched and kicked his ankle. Before he even made it to the ground, his own sword was lodged in his skull.

I began my walk towards the first archer. These were novice archers. It took almost a full ten seconds to ready the arrow. Only once in a while did the arrows actually fly in my direction. Even if they did, they would be so slow I hardly had to try to dodge them. The archer decided I was too close for her to use the bow. She pulled out her dagger and charged at me. These bandits sure were excited to die looking at their enthusiasm to run towards me. I allowed her the first strike like the gentleman I am. Her swing was just as bad as the others. Before she readied herself for the next swing, I swung my body around and kicked her temple. My kick had enough force for her to fall off of the ledge with the eternal winter below sealing her fate.

I bent down remembering the other archer and defensively crouched. I pulled two iron arrows back and aimed. Twice the arrows meant twice the accuracy, right? Right? Right. The first arrow missed completely and hit the floor two metres in front of me. The second arrow went closer to the target by landing two and a half metres in front of me instead.

_Well, I'm never going to try that ever again, _I thought as an arrow flew over my shoulder. I never was a good archer, but I suppose I'll have to learn if I would travel alone. I loaded another arrow. The archer did not even try to dodge as though he was expecting the same thing to happen. I took a gander at the entrance of the barrow as the bandit choked to death on his own blood. Chances were that the inside of Bleak Falls Barrow would prove more inconvenient than the outside.

The inside was not as attractive as the outside just like most women I've met. The walls were breaking and there was rock scattered around the floor along with some skeevers. Skeevers, the overgrown rats of Skyrim, I hate rats. But there was more to the interior environment. There was a fire on the other side of the room. Probably belonging to the bandits Lucan mentioned. I crouched down and moved towards it as silently as the stone floors allowed. I saw the bandits. They were having a conversation about someone named Arvel. It seems he was supposed to return but had not.

"He should have come back by now, I knew we shouldn't have trusted him," said a crude voice with a thick accent

"Do you suppose we should go look for him?" returned a gentler female voice

"Bah, you go if you want, I'm staying here. I haven't eaten for three days."

"I didn't either-"

"Well, you're going to starve for three more days if you don't shut up!"

"Sorry," the female muttered and turned away

A male bandit had a shield still attached to his person and was poking at a skeever which was being roasted over their fire. The female bandit, however, had only a bow. She was sitting with her legs closed and hands on her knees. She looked around like as though she was waiting for something to happen. The only reason is to that is because she doesn't like what she's doing right now. Mm, a bandit who doesn't want to be a bandit. I drew my bow looted from the corpses outside and readied an arrow. I closed one eye and aimed at the back of the man's neck. The arrow flew higher than aimed piercing through his fragile skull and killing him instantly. The other bandit drew her bow and began her search for me.

"Who's there?" she called

I stayed in the shadows and held my breath as she neared. She walked right past me more focused on how to look for me than actually looking for me. When she turned and faced away, I jumped up and pushed her into the ground.

"Now, maybe if you cooperate, I won't kill you."

"What do you want?" she asked with her voice beginning to crack. Another Nordic warrior might have refused to talk simply to keep their pride, but this one put her pride behind her life and was aware of the situation. I suppose we could get along.

"I am looking for a golden claw. Would you happen to have any idea where I can find it?" I spoke in a low whisper. My voice seems to have intimidated her, when in fact I just didn't want anything to hear us.

"Yes, Arvel the swift has it. He went in that way but hasn't come out."

"Alright," I said releasing her. "Thank you." I didn't look back as I went to look for Arvel.

"What about me?" she called after me. "What do I do?"

"I don't care," I replied. I was not sure if I should have been surprised when she decided to follow me.

She was quiet as we walked. That's good. Answering questions is not one of my favourite things to do.

The temple was cold and smelled of dust. I wanted to hurry up and get the golden claw so I could breathe in the fresh air again. Something told me that this retrieval was not going to go the way I planned. The air got denser as we travelled further. The air no longer reeked of only dust. One could also feel an air of death. Down a small set of stairs was a room. Inside the room was a man, another bandit, whom held a torch in one hand and the end of a lever in the other.

"I wouldn't pull that if I were-" I tried to call out to him, but it was too late. He pulled the lever and his mistake made him fall to the ground filled with poisonous arrows.

"Never mind," I said to no one in particular.

"That was Bjorn. He was always too impulsive," my companion told me. "I'm Soling by the way."

"Lovely name for a lovely person," I lied twice in six words...must be a new record. "How do you think we open the door?"

"You see the three statues? They should have something to do with those pillars."

There were indeed three statues each representing a symbol. One had fallen from its original position, but it was not difficult to see where it once stood. The first two looked like a snake while the last appeared to be a whale that hadn't eaten in days. I spun the pillars so they looked the same as the statues.

"Wish me luck," I said as I pulled the lever. Instead of getting killed by a barrage of arrows, the door opened with a loud creak.

"Damn it. You're still alive," Soling commented. I just nodded. It was all right to have her around, she reminded me of how lively the world was and how much potential was contained in the people. Well, most of them.

I noticed more and more spider webs as we walked. That's never a good sign. I heard some shouting. That's not a good sign, either.

"Wait." Soling pulled on my arm. "That sounded like Arvel. We need to go."

Before waiting for my response she ran ahead. I followed. Not like there was any other direction I could have went in.

"Look at that," Soling pointed at a doorway covered in spider webs. I took out my dagger and sliced at the webs. After a few strikes, the doorway was clear.

"Soling!" Arvel shouted as he spotted us. "Get me down, quickly!"

"Where is the claw?"

"I have it. Just get me down," Arvel quickly replied.

"Not until you give me the claw."

"Does it look like I can move? Get me down and the claw is yours."

Soling realised that Arvel was right. She was about to cut the webs when I heard something from above. I quickly tackled Soling forward with the giant frostbite spider barely missing us. I turned around and tumbled under the spider. I stabbed at the heart of the spider with my dagger. The spider reacted the way I hoped; it stepped back. That gave me enough time pull out my bow. I fired three shots at its head each taking out an eye. The spider was weakened at this point. Actually, it seems to had been wounded before I engaged it. I ran towards it and leapt into the air as it spat poison at me. I jabbed the dagger into the spider combining the strength of my muscles and the force of gravity. It was enough to kill it.

"Good job," Soling commented. Soling went to cut down Arvel as promised. But, instead of handing over the claw, Arvel made a run for it.

"You fools! Why should I share the treasure with anyone?" called out Arvel as he ran off. Soling wanted to chase him, but I pulled her back.

"But he has the claw," Soling whined.

"Just wait," I replied. "5...4...3...2...1..." As if on cue, a loud crunch was heard followed by an 'Argh!'

"See," I said as I patted Soling's back, "patience is a virtue."

"How did you know that was going to happen?"

"I didn't, but we were going the same direction anyways, might as well as have him scout about first."

I walked with Soling to the sound's source. It turns out Arvel was killed by a trap. There was a pressure plate on the floor connected with a large spiked door. The rest of the room was just as dangerous. The walls were lined with corpses of the ancient nords. Soling held onto my arm.

"Yes?" I asked her.

"I'm scared," she replied quietly. Huh, not the best bandit I've ever seen. At least she's honest.

"Don't be," I pulled her closer. "It's not like these corpses are going to come alive."

That's when one of the corpses decided to wake up followed by many others.

"Well," I told Soling. "I guess anything is possible."

The first draugr charged at us with a sword and shield. The second followed with a greatsword.

"Unslaad Krosis," the first one said. His voice was cracked and muffled, but I could hear it clearly. He tried to push me back with his shield. Instead, I grabbed his shield and pulled it away from him. I grabbed his neck and kicked his groin like I did with the bandits.

_Oh, right. The undead don't have the weaknesses that people with flesh do. _That mistake came back to haunt me. His next sword strike made contact with my flesh cutting a shallow diagonal line across my chest.

"Well, that's not good."

I had dropped my dagger from parrying most of the attack. Luckily, I have six more attached to my back. I threw two at the first draugr, one handicapping his leg and the other handicapping his head. The next one raised his greatsword. Before he brought it down, I jumped back barely avoiding it. Before he raised it again, I used the sword as a stepping stone as I jumped from the sword into the air. I kicked his face hard enough to detach his head from the rest of his body. More draugrs were beginning to wake up. I realised that draugrs have no sense of strategy, only rage and duty. I pulled Soling along with me as I ran around the pressure plate. We stood there motionless as we watched the trap finish the rest of the draugrs.

"Try to stay dead this time," Soling said

The rest of the way contained many more draugrs. I didn't really mind them that much. They were stupid and easy to kill. But the look on Soling's face told me that we should hurry up. She looked like a traumatised child who just saw her parents slaughtered. Yes, I know exactly what that looks like…even though I've been trying to forget.

I tried to comfort Soling as much as I could. But everyone has their phobias. It just so happens that Soling's phobias are running around these runes we are currently in. Soling was so happy when we got to a long hallway which led to a puzzle door because she thought that was the exit. The puzzle was easy to solve. One simply needed to match the rings with the ones on the golden claw. Inside the door was a beautiful cavern. There was a small stream of water but what caught my attention most was a large stone wall. Beside it were shelves of plants, potions, and a coffin. The coffin was closed. I hoped for it to stay that way. I was attracted by the stone wall. It seemed to have words carved into it. It was the first time I had seen such a strange language, but it was so familiar.

"Any idea what that says?" Soling asked me pointing to the words.

"Het nok faal vahlok deinmaar do dovahgolz ahrk aan fus do unslaad rahgol ahrk vulom," I said. How did I know that? It seemed as though I instinctively said it like the wall said it through me.

"What does that mean?"

"No clue."

"Thanks,"

I stepped closer to the wall. The words had little meaning to me, but one word stood out.

_Fus_.

That word seemed to be calling to me. As I closed the distance between me and the wall, the words started to glow. I don't know if I'm the only one that saw the glow, or if Soling could also see it. I didn't bother to turn around to check. Strange hues of light blue and bright orange emanated from the words and into me. The rest of the world seemed to darken as though only that word and I existed. That's when I heard it.

_FUS._

It felt like my body became weightless as I fell to my knees, Soling not hesitating to run to me. She said something. I'm not sure what, but I realised something. That word managed to bury itself into me. I'm not sure why. I'm not sure how. But it is and that's that. It didn't seem to cause any physical changes, so I suppose I'm already with that.

"What was that?" Soling asked me.

"I don't know," I replied. "I think I learnt something."

"Whatever. Let's get out of here," she said helping me to my feet. "I don't want to see any more undead."

Almost as if the draugr heard her, he burst out of the coffin.

"Well, that didn't work out too well."

"I'm going to go here," said Soling as she proceeded to hide behind the word wall. I sighed.

I drew two daggers and jumped at the draugr. Instead of blocking with his sword, he shouted at me. It was not a normal shout. The shout disarmed me and sent me crashing into the wall. I was an alright warrior in Elsweyr, but I supposed I never practiced defending myself against loud noises.

"Are you all right?" Soling shouted from behind the wall.

"Does it sound like I'm all right?"

"Yes...?"

Well, I guess I'm on my own again. I lost two daggers from the shout, but I still had six more strapped to my chest. I started with fourteen daggers. I still need to pay Alvor for all the steel I used. I rarely used daggers in Elsweyr, but the swords in Skyrim are too heavy to be swords. I think I remember a few lessons I had on forging, maybe I'll try to get some metal and make a sword. The draugr bashed his sword against his shield as a taunt. Weird. Taunting is strategy. This draugr must be more capable than the other ones I've encountered so far. Well, that just makes it more of a challenge… I guess optimism isn't working.

He swung his sword downwards as I stepped closer. I turned around holding my dagger over my shoulder and parried. The parry was meant to stun him for just a little less than one second considering the raw weight of his sword. I followed up with the rest of the turn and lodged the same dagger into its of pulling it out, I left it there to save time. I pulled out two more daggers, one in each hand. I jabbed them into his skull from both sides.

"You can come out now!" I called out to Soling.

"I think I'm stuck," she called back.

"Not my fault."

In the coffin was a strange stone. It looked like a normal piece of rock, but there were engravings on it. I had no assumptions of what the engravings meant. However, everything that is hidden so secretively has significance.

"Finally. I get to see the sky." Soling's mood brightened immediately as we left the barrow.

"I don't want to go back there ever again," she added, "I don't want to go back to a barrow ever again, I don't want to see undead ever again, I don't want to be a bandit ever again."

"You don't have to," I said

"Huh," Soling turned, revealing a smirk, "and whose fault is that"


	4. 2: Buried Stones

The sky was dark. It must have been the almost sunrise. I guess that's what I get for going on an adventure in the early evening. I suggested we sleep where we were right now until the morning at least. I suppose lying down and falling asleep meant that she agreed. It's almost impossible for me to imagine that someone like her was a bandit. She doesn't seem like the type that infests old ruins and abandoned buildings. She was honest, humorous, and quite sensitive. She already revealed that she doesn't want to be a bandit. I suppose I have respect for her. I removed my own cape and covered her with it. Bear skin made good capes, mobile but still thick. The cape had a hood with a point in the front. The bear's head rested on the shoulders acting as protection and intimidation.

I awoke the next morning to find Soling shaking me.

"What' the matter?" I asked.

"I'm hungry."

You have to be kidding me.

"Let me see your chest," she ordered.

"Why?"

"Because it's covered in blood," she replied. I looked down. Sure enough, it was

"Fair enough," I said as I removed my shirt. Soling traced her finger along the cut, wiping away the blood.

"It looks fine," she commented. "But it might get infected if it doesn't close fast enough."

I thought that would be the end of that. But she stretched her hand and thousands of yellow magical particles flew from her hand towards my wound mending the ripped flesh. The rest of my scars remained but the cut left no traces. Okay, a bandit with a healing spell? Now, I need to ask.

"Tell me something, you're a cut away from the usual outlaws. You're really not bandit material. So, how does someone like you end up somewhere like here?"

"No, I never imagined I'd be living life as a criminal. What gave it away?"

"The fact that you know healing spells and that you didn't stab me in my sleep."

"I probably should have...now that I think about it."

"Yeah, probably. But you didn't. So, now you have to answer my question."

"Well, where I learned these healing powers is from my mother. My father was a soldier. My mother was a healer. Women made much better healers than men. Men are so careless and simply don't have the patience needed."

"Thanks,"

"Not you, you're fine,"

The end of this story probably isn't as happy as the beginning. Better let her finish though.

"My father's leg was cut off yet he survived with the magic of my mother. However, magic cannot cure pain. It can only mend a broken body. So, he consumed skooma in order to dull the pain during the healing process. He ended up dulling the pain until he died two years later. As you should already know skooma is expensive. We couldn't return the money fast enough legally...and had to get money another way. The law found out, and I soon had a bounty on my head. I had to leave. I-I couldn't return to my home."

I put my arm around her and pulled her closer. She was shaking a little but not crying. She faced her past and that was enough.

"We'll leave in a few minutes," I told her.

"Good," she replied. "I want to leave this place."

We made our way to Riverwood. The road was peaceful. Then again, after the adventure at Bleak Falls, everything seemed peaceful.

"Hey, you're back," Lucan called out to us. "And who's your girlfriend?"

"Not my girlfriend."

"Not yet," Soling said.

"Um, okay?" Well, better not drag on this conversation. I dropped the claw on the counter.

"Here, I got you your ke—I mean claw back."

"Ah ha ha! You actually found it! It seems smaller than I remember. Haha! Funny thing, right?"

"No, not really"

"Ah ha ha! Okay, then," he replied. Is he going to shut up anytime soon? "Here's the gold I promised you."

He handed me a pouch. I counted about twelve gold pieces at least. This means it was worth a hundred and twenty septims. I felt a touch that was obviously not Soling's. That means it belongs to…

"Hey, I see you've returned," Camilla, who would have guessed

"Get your hands off my boyfriend!" Soling shouted.

"Why are we going to Whiterun?" Soling whined. "Why couldn't we eat at the inn in Riverwood?"

"Because Gerdur might get pissed if she sees I haven't gone to Whiterun even after two days."

"What do you need to do at Whiterun?"

"Just need to get the jarl to assign some guards to Riverwood because of the dragons. Not much plans for after that. " Soling froze. I don't think I told her about the dragons yet.

"D-dragons?"

Nope, I didn't tell her yet.

"Yeah, there are dragons flying about in Skyrim now. Saw one at Helgen not long ago."

"What if we see a dragon?" She moved close enough so that we were touching. "What would we do then?"

"There are no dragons around and, unless we go looking for one which we are obviously not going to do, we're not in danger. I'm not a dragonslayer from the legends or anything. But, as long as I'm here… well, you know"

"You'll protect me, right?" she said in a hushed tone. "I know you will."

Soling quickly walked the rest of the way. I guess she was nervous about the dragons. I don't blame her. How can I? I would be more worried about her if she wasn't affected at all by the news. She pointed at a windmill in the distance. I guess we finally made it to Whiterun. I was worried when we approached the gates as the guards seemed on edge.

"Halt! The city is closed with the dragons about!"

"Well, that's why I came here."

"What?!"

"Yes, I was at Helgen. I come bearing news of the dragons."

"Well, fine!" He turned around and began opening the gate. "But I'll be keeping an eye on you." Then he turned around and went back to his post.

Whiterun made it seem like the many troubles outside were long gone. There were carefree children running around the streets and citizens happily conversing and trading. This seemed like a lovely place to settle down. Too bad it's not my turn to settle down yet. However, when there is peace, there is always a concealed conflict. A few redguards were talking to the guards about a redguard woman. I'll keep that in mind if I see a redguard woman.

Soling eagerly walked towards the centre of town. I don't blame her. After living the life of an outlaw, anyone would be excited to be in a carefree city. She caught a glimpse of an inn and walked in without waiting for me.

"So, a chicken, two steaks, two loaves of bread, a slice of goat cheese, and an apple pie. Would you like anything else?" Hulda asked Soling.

"Nope," Soling beamed turning to look at me. "You want anything?"

"No," I replied.

"That would be 80 septims, but you two look like travellers. I'll give you a discount for 70 if you recommend this place to people you meet."

"So, by a discount of 70, do you mean we get 70 off and pay 10?" I inquired.

"… No."

"Worth a shot," I replied with a smile as I dumped a mix of gold and silver on the counter.

"It's going to take some preparation. Why don't you two go take a seat by the fire."

We took our seats at a small table as Saadia desperately tried to jot down the excessively long order. With Soling's fur armour and cloak and my tattered leather jacket and common pants. We looked like a pair a bandits and were stopped at the gates. But I explained how we were sent by riverwood and made up a story about being abused by bandits and having to take their clothes because ours got ruined. They didn't believe we would have survived a bandit attack but after a quick duel we were in the city.

"I'm warm, comfortable and happy. I don't remember the last time this happened."

"When did you join those guys at Bleak?"

"Well," she sighed, "I actually found those guys right after I escaped my home. I only made it one day before I got scared of being alone. They ambushed me and wanted to take my belonging and… other things. But I was pretty good with a bow so they let me tag alone as long as I gave them everything I found."

"Well, they're not so bad. Other bandits wouldn't have taken your offer."

"They were only three people then, I guess they needed more members."

"They are just corpses now,"

"That, I am glad for."

"Hey," Soling said. "Do you ever get that feeling where your stomach hurts because you ate too much, although it was so delicious and it still feels kind of good?" I really wasn't expecting her to eat the entire order. I thought some was to go. Actually I thought most of it would be to go.

"No."

"You're no fun."

"You want to have fun?" I asked. "I'll show you fun." I then proceeded to push her into the pool of water at the bottom at the stairs.

"There we go," I said to Soling. "That was fun, wasn't it?" That's when she grabbed my neck and pulled me in.

Two people in light armour dripping with water. That must be exactly the kind of people the jarl of Whiterun would want to meet. The jarl proved me right by having his housecarl to greet us by pointing a sword at my face.

"What is the meaning of this? The jarl is not receiving visitors," the dunmer said, sword still pointed at my face. A dark elf is a housecarl in Skyrim. I was right, anything is possible.

"Just thought the jarl would like some information about dragons," I replied.

"And what do you know about dragons?" she asked slowly lowering her sword.

"Well, one of them almost killed me at Helgen. So, I guess I know a little bit."

"Well, you do look like you've been through oblivion" the housecarl said while sheathing her sword at last, "that explains why the guards let you in. Come on, then. I'm sure the jarl would want to talk to you personally."

She turned around and began walking expecting us to follow. The jarl seemed to be preoccupied with another conversation, however.

"My lord, please. You have to listen. I only counsel caution. We cannot afford to act rashly in times like these. If the news from Helgen is true…well, there's no telling what it means."

The man speaking wore higher class clothing and spoke in a high pitched voice. What he said showed that he was certainly not a nord and perhaps not a man.

"What would you have me do, then? Nothing?" The jarl spoke back with annoyance in his voice. The jarl's name was Balgruuf if I recall correctly. I don't know why he would make this man his counsellor. I have seen a rabbit give better advice.

"My lord, please. This is no time for rash action. I just think we need more information before we act. I just-"

"Well, who's this, then?" The jarl cut him off as he saw me. His housecarl told him about my involvement in the Helgen incident.

"So, you two were at Helgen?"

"No, just me," I replied.

"You saw this dragon with your own eyes?"

"Ah, yes. I had a great view of the dragon while the imperials were trying to cut off my head."

"Really? You're certainly…forthright about your criminal past."

"That's because I have none. I am just a man who was at the wrong place at the wrong time." I sighed, "just like everyone else in Helgen at that time"

"Well, it's none my concern who the imperials want to execute anyways especially with the dragons about. What I do want to know is what happened at Helgen."

"What is there to say? A dragon destroyed Helgen and just left. Riverwood could use some help. It is vulnerable and defenceless. If that dragon is still here, it will have no trouble wiping Riverwood from the map."

"My lord," Irileth called. "We should send troops to Riverwood at once it-"

"The jarl of Falkreath will view that as a provocation!" The steward cut her off and talked as though he had a point. "He'll assume we're preparing to join Ulfric's side and attack him. We should not-"

"ENOUGH!" jarl Balgruuf cut him off. "I will not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people."

I wonder who the jarl wants to kill more, the dragon or his steward.

"Well done, you sought me out on your own initiative. You've done Whiterun a service I won't forget. Here, take this as a small token of my esteem." He had a servant hand me a set of scaled armour. The top half was sleeveless with a steel shoulder pad on the left and a plate at the heart. The bottom half was long pieces of fur aligned delicately with rings and scales of steel. The armour was well made, but the steel and lack of mobility in the legs would prove useless to me.

"There is something else you could do for me. Perhaps it would be suitable for a man of your talents."

_God damn it._

"Farengar, my court wizard is doing research on dragons and…dragon rumours. He can be a bit difficult. You know how mages are. Farengar!" jarl Balgruuf called out to the mage. "I think I might have found someone who might be able to help you with your dragon project."

Soling was bouncing around Farengar's room picking up and touching random objects. I think I saw her shake a filled soul gem to see if she could hear what was inside. I bet she would have annoyed any other person to have killed someone by now. But she reminds me too much of my sister to react in any way.

"The jarl must be talking about my dragon project. Yes, I could use someone to fetch something for me," Farengar told me doing his best to avoid yelling at Soling.

"What's the catch?"

"Well, by fetch I mean dwell into an ancient Nordic ruin in search of a stone that looks pretty much the same as any other stone. Also, the stone might not actually be there. This whole search for it is just a guess on a presumed location."

"Sounds dangerous, I'm in. But, how would this tablet help you in your research of dragons?" I asked him. I have no problems with doing jobs for others, but I never take action without knowing what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. Doing that caused two divorces and one murder.

"Ah, you are not like the brutes the jarl pushes onto me. You are a thinker perhaps even a scholar. Anyways, if my information is correct, then this stone should be able to act as a map to find other dragon burial sites."

Wait. A stone tablet that acts as a map.

"You mean the dragonstone?" I asked as I pulled out the stone I'd retrieved from Bleak Falls Barrow out of my bag.


	5. Your Sword and Shield

"Ah, you've already found it. You really are a cut above the usual mercenaries."

"Farengar!" the housecarl shouted. "We need you upstairs immediately…you too." She added turning to me.

* * *

"Hey," I told Soling. "Put this on." I handed her the armour the jarl gave me. It might not be suitable for me, but it's much better than the fur armour she bore.

"Why?" She asked me. "Why would you want me to cover up my body? Is it not good enough for you?"

"Trust me; I don't want you to cover up anything. However, I don't want you to die." Maybe saying that was a bad idea. She smiled and started rubbing her chest on my arm.

"I'm not dead yet," she whispered into my ear.

"You're going to be if you don't get off."

"Aw, party pooper."

* * *

A guard had come bearing news of a dragon attack on the western watchtower while I was busy carving my name Irileth on my sword. He briefed the jarl on it. Jarl Balgruuf suggested I take the two newcomers with me, and the soldiers to defeat the dragon. They might have done a favour for the wizard, but I'm sure they will be nothing but a burden. Hmph, at least now we have two more shields for the real warriors. These two were nothing but children without any knowledge of the land they tread upon. Before I left to rendezvous with my soldiers, jarl Balgruuf asked me to promise him to not die. Of course I'm not going to die, I wouldn't allow myself to anytime soon. Additionally, I need to stay alive for someone else.

The soldiers and two strangers were already at the watchtower waiting for me.

The guards were unenthusiastic about fighting a dragon to say the least. And they call themselves the fearless warrior. But it's okay, a few words from me and they're ready for anything. The male stranger didn't seem excited or scared. His expression remained indifferent, 'tis an expression only those who have seen war can possess. The female was more anxious but did not act upon it.

* * *

The housecarl, Irileth I think her name was, seemed to be distrustful of me and my companion. I understand the job of a housecarl is to protect a person of significance. But I have noticed that perhaps she is too protective of jarl Balgruuf. I think this may be caused by more than just raw loyalty and sense of duty. I saw the way Irileth looked at him, and I saw the way jarl Balgruuf looked back. I smiled at the fact that anything can happen in Skyrim.

"The dragon's not here now, but it definitely looks like he's been here." Soling said as she looked around the rubble.

"Yeah, no shit. Half the tower is gone," I replied causing her to lightly hit my arm. I cringed as I felt something. A creature was nearing. I couldn't confirm what it was but it's probably the dragon which destroyed the tower.

"Come on," Soling said leaning closer. "I didn't hit you that hard."

"It's not that," I grabbed her hand. "Let's get to some cover."

"Why?"

"Trust me, it's coming" I lead her into the remains of the watchtower. I signalled for her to go in. I did not follow. I went and called all of the soldiers.

"Prepare yourselves," I called. "The dragon is coming."

"And how would you know-" Irileth was cut off by a roar overhead. "Nevermind."

The soldiers drew their bows and began a reckless assault on the dragon. Hundreds of arrows were fired, few made contact. The dragon was fast and the raw speed of its wings was enough to push away the arrows. While the guards attacked, I stood back and watched. Soon I found a pattern with the dragon's flight. Every three strokes of his wing, he would glide for a few seconds. I drew my bow and pulled back an arrow. Right after his third stroke my arrow flew. The arrow lodged itself in the area between the dragon's head and his neck. He hardly flinched, but I knew it did damage.

"Ah, dovahkiin," the dragon's croaky voice said as he noticed the injury looking my way. "Your death will bring me honour."

_Dovahkiin, _he definitely said that, I knew I heard him correctly. The only question is what dovahkiin means. He was addressing me. So, I'm dovahkiin? Sounds better than my given name at least.

"Hey, what's going on out he—OH HOLY FUCKING MOTHER OF THE FUCKING DIVINES!"

I turned to where the voice came from and noticed Soling come out of the tower and go right back in. Well, I've never heard those words together in a sentence together. Speaking of worrying, something feels hot on… oh god damn it. That's when a ball fire came crashing to my face. I tumbled forward to avoid the direct hit but the fireball exploded on impact when it hit the ground.

"Does anyone have any water?" I called. "I appear to be on fire."

* * *

The dragon landed for the first time since its arrival. The earth shook beneath him knocking many off of their feet. Some retreated further away. I ran straight up to the dragon's backside and jabbed my sword into his leg. It got stuck there and didn't seem to do too much damage. The glory of being the first to kill a dragon was too great to resist. All I could think of was the fame I would receive after returning to Whiterun with a dragon's remains. My dream prevented me from noticing the dragon's tail slam down towards me. I jumped to the side as quickly as possible. Fortunately, the tail missed my head. Unfortunately, that was the only part of my body it missed.

I lay on the ground gasping for air as my lungs struggled to breathe through the broken ribs. The dragon turned around ready to finish me off. I realised something I've never thought of before this moment. I don't want to die. Not yet. Not like this. But, then again, I have no choice. Good thing someone else did. The dragon opened its mouth ready to bite me into pieces. However, instead of me entering its mouth, a flying dagger did instead. The dragon gagged trying to remove the blade from its throat. I felt a pair of arms swiftly scoop me up.

"Ah, that looks like it hurts," said the jarl's mercenary in his strange calm tone. "Let me help you with that."

He stuck one of his hands into the dragon's mouth and pulled out a bloody dagger. I looked at him in disbelief why he would do anything to help the dragon. But, right when the dragon's jaw closed, he stabbed the same dagger into the dragon's eye.

"Well, he didn't see that coming. In fact, he probably won't be seeing anything anymore. Get it?" I used the last of my strength to raise my hand and hit him.

"Sorry," he replied as he carried me towards some debris. Crouching down, he leaned me against a piece of the wall and handed me a sweet roll from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Ah, okay," he said as he hopped up. "Where were we?"

Current events have taught that residents of Skyrim are stupid. The elves are stupid, the nords are stupid, and even the damn dragons are stupid. Everything here is fucking stupid. I mean really, Irileth got distracted in face-to-face combat with a dragon. How is that even possible? No matter, the dragon still had one eye left, better fix that.

"You will die here, dovahkiin!" the dragon roared at me.

"You haven't been doing a very good job of killing me yet," I called back. The dragon shot a fireball in response wiping out a quarter of the city guards. Well, perhaps I shouldn't have said that after all. The dragon flew in a circle before closing his wings and diving downwards at me with the assistance of gravity. Either this was going to go very well or very wrong. With the dragon only a few centimetres above the ground, I wondered if my assumption was correctly calculated. The dragon flew towards me with his mouth open.

_So this is what looking into the belly of the beast is like. Not the most calming image. _Before the dragon made contact with me, I leaned backwards and held out my blade. The blade cut through the scales and made a gash in his stomach.

"You know," I said to the dragon. "I'm not even trying at this point." Another sphere of flame was sent towards me. I tumbled forward using the strength of the roll to fling another dagger at the dragon. It missed him completely but diverted his attention. The bow threatened to snap as I pulled my arrow back. The arrow left a trail of feather bits as it flew into the dragon's neck. He landed in front of me causing a gust of wind to fly at me. I did not allow the current to hinder me and stood there face to face with the dragon.

"You have caused me great humiliation, dovahkiin." I adjusted my stance.

"And now I'm about to cause you death, too."

He smiled, or I think he smiled. I can't tell. Alligators don't have well pronounced facial expressions.

"You mortals entertain me so."

I pulled out my second last knife and stabbed his nose.

"How's that for entertainment?"

* * *

The rest of the city guards found their balls and joined with me to fight the dragon, well perhaps not the women but it was a figure of speech. The dragon spread its wings to fly away, but one of the guards slashed his wing with a greatsword. The sword impaled its wing, holding the dragon's wing to the ground.

"Hey! That's not a bad idea. I should have thought of that!"

"Stop stalling and do something," the guard cried.

"Oh, right. Hmm, what can I do? Ah, I got it!"

I climbed the dragon's side and hopped onto its head pulling out my last dagger. I always save the best for last so it can be used to its full potential. The dagger was crafted by Alvor but improved by me, its shaft mostly steel with the edges teethed. It was longer than my other weapons and was bent like a snake so the wound would not be able to be sewn together. With one hand on his horn and the other on the hilt of my weapon, I made shallow and quick jabs at the edges of the weaker scales. The dragon roared and shook his head, but soon, the scales were gone, and nothing was between me and his demise.

"There we go. That wasn't so hard. We lost like twenty men, but that wasn't so hard," I said to the soldiers. Something pulled at me. When I looked back, I saw a light leaving the dragon and coming into me.

"Well, that's new," I commented as the light surrounded me and my blood veins glowed orange. The dragon's flesh depleted and it was now no more than a skeleton. The light burned inside. I felt stronger, smart and faster. Centuries of experience flowed through my veins as the dragon's mind and soul merged with mine. I felt like a part of me that had been missing for so long returned. A sphere of raw energy escaped from my lips.

"Fus!" I shouted. Well, that's even more new.

"By the gods! You're the dragonborn!" One of the guards exclaimed. The guards called me dragonborn. The dragon called me dovahkiin. They are probably the same thing. That means—oh, shit! Irileth!

* * *

"Irileth, are you okay?" I poked at her shoulder.

"Ow," she grumbled. "Where's the dragon?"

"Dead," I responded.

"Does that mean I die a hero's death?"

"No," I replied. "You're not going to die yet. Where the fuck is Soling?"

"She said she would try to help me…"

"And then?"

"She took a look at my wound and ran off screaming." I peeled Irileths' armour off causing her to wince.

"Well," I said. "I can see why."

"Not helping."

"Sorry." I pulled her arm over my shoulder and slid my arms under her. Slowly, I rose from my crouching position with her in my arms.

"Ow! Fuck! Be gentle!"

"I'm trying." I walked slowly, careful not to tread on uneven ground and cause more discomfort. Irileth was quiet, leaning and gently breathing into my chest.

"Hey," she said to me. Her voice was soft and quiet. "You think I'm going to be okay?"

"Of course," I replied. "You have to be. If the guards can survive that, than so can you" I left out the casualties from what I just said.

"What if..." she said again. "What if I don't make it?"

"You can't die," I said trying to put a stop to her doubts. "You have someone to live for, don't you?"

"How did you know?"

"I pay attention to these things."

"Stop paying attention to **my** things."

"..."

"That came out differently than it should have."

"Yea"


	6. Too Serious

**Author's Note: Now like always, I am accepting OC's of any kind. Send one to me and I'll find a place in the story. But if the OC is a character from Pokemon or something completely unrelated to Skyrim I am sure you will have no problem understanding why I may find difficulties in finding a place for him/her in the story. Anyways, I am having issues with writing as my time is taken up by various other factors. For example exams are coming up and I am running for student council. I apologise if I may update late like this time. But this one has more words compared to the last. **

Four men in dark grey robes sat around a square carved in the stone floor. The engraving began to glow a deep orange and strange symbols started to shine the same colour. The marks burned and warmed the cold air.

"It is time," one of the men said. The others nodded and, in perfect unison, lifted up their heads to face the sky.

"DOV-AH-KIIN!" they shouted.

A thunder could be heard from a fair distance away followed by an echoing sound of the word, 'dovahkiin'.

"Did you hear that?" Irileth asked.

"Yeah," I responded. "Sounds like it came from the mountains."

"Don't get distracted now."

"Sorry." The guards at the gate didn't say anything and pushed open the large doors to let me through. I caught a few stares from the passing townsfolk. None said anything, though. I didn't mind. A man carrying a dark elf, both clad in armour and weapons covered in blood from both allies and enemies. It must be quite a sight.

"Hey, Irileth?" I asked. "Where can I get you healed?"

"The temple beside the fucking tree!"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Does it fucking look like I'm okay, you little shit!? You better hurry your stupid ass up before I fucking stab you, you dick! Ow. My shoulder hurts."

Okay. I better hurry up, then.

The guards closed the doors behind me as I entered the palace. Dragonsreach, they called it. Originally, it was a cage for a dragon, now a palace for a jarl. I felt two hands on my shoulders which pushed me into the door.

"Where is Irileth?"

"Calm down," I lift his hands off me, "She's at the temple."

"Will she be all right?"

"Yes, she will be."

"Good, good. Now, tell me what happened with the dragon." I walked with him back to his throne. I told him about the victory and the random soul-stealing thing.

"You must be who the greybeards were calling."

"I heard some random shouting on my way back." I replied trying to sound ignorant of the situation.

"Yes, that's the greybeards. You have done a great service to Whiterun and her people. I name you, the thane of Whiterun. It is the least I can do. Come back again tomorrow. I will have prepared for you a personal housecarl and a gift of gratitude."

"Speaking of housecarls," I replied. This was a great opportunity to add something else to the conversation. "You should try to be there when Irileth wakes up. "

"What?"

"Say, you have children, but I've never seen your wife."

"I've never had one, my children are the children of whiterun." That's quite a nice way of putting it

"Hmm, interesting, that's good."

"Why is that good?" Well, perhaps Whiterun having a few street urchins isn't exactly a good thing but still

"You'll figure it out." Before he responded, I turned around and walked away. A person does not truly understand something unless he finds out himself what it is. If you simply tell someone something, either they will either forget it or not believe it. I made my way to the same inn Soling and I went to earlier. I took a seat at the counter and dug around my pocket.

"Hulda, what can I get for five bronze pieces?"

"Two bottles of mead," she replied with her thick Nordic accent.

I tossed the said amount of coins on the counter. She picked them to check the prints and make sure they are real. I'd don't see how that would help, getting a mold isn't too hard.

"Pass me them." She tossed me two bottles of Nordic mead. One of them I caught. The other flew over my head and into the fireplace.

"Oops," she said. "Wait. Weren't you one of the guys who went to fight the dragon?"

"No. That's not me," I lied.

"No, I definitely saw you leave this morning with the guards and the elf."

"Sorry, must have been someone else."

"Mm, alright then." That was when the door got kicked open and a group of muscular and familiar nords barged in.

"WE KILLED A DRAGON!" One of them shouted into the inn. What wonderful luck I have. Maybe if I kept my head down they won't notice.

"HEY, IT'S THE DRAGONBORN!"

Or perhaps that wouldn't help my situation too much

"HI, DRAGONBORN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" One of the men screamed, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Can you not scream?"

"NO! YOU LEFT US AND WE HAD TO CLEAN UP THE REMAINS OF THE DRAGON BY OURSELVES!" They probably took what they can and sold it off somewhere.

"I was busy cleaning up the remains of Irileth," I flatly said soon followed by their silence. Such blissful silence.

"Woah. Irileth's dead?" One of the guards asked.

"No, I just needed this guy to shut up. But Irileth did seem to randomly forget what she was doing during the fight, which is something to worry about."

Around fifty bottles of mead later, five men were off in the corner singing Ragnar the Red. Two women were having kinky lesbian sex in one of the rooms, I didn't plan on looking in but I didn't plan on the door being open either. Two men and one woman were passed out on the floor. Mikael was also passed out. Not because of alcohol but because someone hit him with his own lute, I suppose it was his fault for singing about how sexy a woman was while her husband was standing beside him. And I'm just sitting here eating a slice of cheese. No, I have no idea where it came from.

"Hi," Soling beamed as she sat on my lap.

"Where did you come from?"

"I was here the whole time, silly!"

"So you came here instead of healing Irileth?"

"The blood was really scary!"

"And her dying was less scary?"

"Just don't talk about that."

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry." I wrapped an arm around her waist so she doesn't fall off. I thought she was going to return the gesture. Instead, she slapped me across the face.

"Ow?"

"That was for lying to me. You said we wouldn't fight any dragons."

"Technically we didn't fight any dragons. I fought a dragon, you didn't. But I guess that was still my fault—Ow! What was that for?!"

"You also said you weren't a legendary dragonslayer."

"You can't blame me for that. But I guess that's my fault, too."

* * *

I ran the rag up and down my steel sword. It had become a daily routine, cleaning my sword even if I don't use it. I placed the sword on the stand as though it could break any moment. There was a knock on the door, but the door was opened before I could answer.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, commander Lydia."

The jarl. I didn't hear he was coming.

"My jarl." I quickly dropped to one knee. "I'm sorry. I did not prepare for your arrival."

"Stand, child. It's not your fault. I gave no warnings."

I did as I was told and stood.

"What can i do for you, my jarl?" I asked him.

"Well, our hold has a new thane. You should know that every thane is assigned a housecarl. Many holds have housecarls trained and prepared to be given at any random moment. We do not."

"Would you like me to find someone suitable?"

"No, my child," he said. "You are suitable for the assignment."

"You are assigning me as his housecarl?"

I couldn't suppress the disappointment in my voice. I had finally escaped my life as a slave-servant to a pampered noble and now I am going to become one again? It's not like being in the guard was glorious but at least there are opportunities, may it be full-on bandit attacks or perhaps participation in the war.

"No, my child. Do not think this is a one-sided decision. It is purely optional. I will find someone else if you do not wish to take the position. But you shouldn't make a rash decision. My new thane is not just any thane. He is the dragonborn. The dragonborn will be doing many deeds that will protect the future of the world we live in, I want someone capable to help him." He pushed the door open meaning to take his departure. "I need to go to the temple. Think on it, my child."

The last thing I wanted to be was another servant. But the dragonborn, the only mortal capable of killing a dragon and destined to slay the harbinger of the end of time was an enticing offer. Mother had told me tales and stories about this man. Truly, I am given an opportunity to help save the world and finally become someone. Even if I am only one who helped, I will still be someone others will acknowledge. I untied the strap holding the yellow scarf to the chainmail. Of course, I accept this assignment.

* * *

My eyes began to adjust to the light of the room. The memory of the previous day flashed through my mind. Getting too distracted by the rewards of the assignments to do the assignments, how could I have been so stupid? Jarl Balgruuf would be disappointed. Tears threatened to show as I realised the cold truth. He would see how incompetent I was and he would never love me back.

"Irileth?" Balgruuf? Was he here with me? "Irileth, you're awake, how do you feel?"

"My jarl…" I mumbled as I tried to sit up, a strong hand stopped me from making any movements.

"No, you're strong, but you're still injured. Don't try to get up yet, rest for a while longer."

"My jarl," I said, my voice clearing up, "what are you doing here?"

"I can't leave you. I started regretting letting you fight the dragon alone the moment you left the room. I should have gone with you. I should have been there for you. If I was there… than this wouldn't have happened," One of his hands grasped mine and the other covered his face. His eyes sparked through his fingers, was he crying? Was he crying because of me? "Irileth, I'm so sorry. This is my entire fault. You don't have to forgive, you just need to be okay. As long as you're fine, I can live and die in peace."

"My jarl," I said, my eyes were big and my heart was pounding. I could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth. "I don't blame you. It was my fault. I was distracted. I thought if I could kill the dragon, you would love me more." Only truth at this point

"Oh my dear Irileth," he said as he gently hugged me on my bed, "I can't possibly love you anymore than I already love you."

"Do you mean that?"

"Of course I do, here, let me prove it," I closed my eyes as he began to move his lips closer to mine.

I don't remember if I've kissed anyone before. Even if I had it would be nothing compared to this. It felt amazing, it felt like years of working and waiting was over and I finally got my reward. It seems he felt the same.

I woke up to Soling's hair blocking my air inhalation. When my eyes opened, I realised she and I were cuddling together on a bed. Maybe if I moved quietly, she won't notice me leave.

"Mmm, don't leave," she mumbled grabbing my arm. "It's too cold here without you. Warm me up with your love, dragonborn!"

"How can you possibly still be drunk from last night?"

This question led her to laughing psychotically before pulling me back in bed. I guess I'm sleeping in today. I heard a groan and some creaking from across the room. A woman got off the bed. Correction, a woman got off another woman. She scratched her head and studied the room and froze when she saw me.

"Oh, fuck! Did you see anything!?"

"I saw nothing," I lied. Memories of their body fluids making puddles on the ground were still fresh in my mind.

"That's good," she yawned. "I better get home before my wife gets worried."

They call Skyrim the land of the warriors. If I become king, I will call Skyrim the land of the lesbians and terrible bards.

The sun was shining, the clouds were floating, and Heimskr was screaming. What a beautiful day. I moved my hand towards my forehead to wipe off the trickle of blood coming from the fresh cut.

"Look, Soling. I know you wanted to wake me up, but you didn't have to hit me that hard," I said.

"I told you I was sorry already. Just drop it."

"Wait," I said "I didn't hear you say you were sorry."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

She sighed before she began. "I apologise for hitting you in the face with a food platter," she said. "Will you forgive me now?"

"Ah, but I've already forgiven you." I put my arm over her shoulder. "I just wanted to make sure you wanted me to."

"I hate you."

"And, yet, you get upset every time another woman talks to me."

"I don't do that."

I raised an eyebrow. "Let's see. I can list a few right now. There was Camilla, Ysolda, that redguard woman from the tavern, and-"

"Okay, fine! I do that!" she cut me off. "But I still hate you."

Soling and I walked up the stairs towards Dragon's Reach. This time the guards each greeted us with a wave or a nod instead of closing the distance between their hand and their weapons. The guards at the door held the doors open for us to enter. I noticed the jarl looked rather tired today as though he didn't get enough sleep last night. Good. Maybe he took my advice.

"Good morning, jarl."

"My thane, ha ha ha! How are you today?" He stood up from his throne with a smile on his face.

"I take it you're in a good mood. Did something happen last night?"

He smiled in response

"You kissed Irileth? What did you do? Molest her in her sleep?"

"I considered it, but I thought I would molest her when she wakes up instead."

"CAN YOU TWO NOT TALK ABOUT MOLESTING PEOPLE!?" Soling shouted, mostly at me.

"Sorry," we say in unison.

"Did the jarl and thane just listen to an order from a commoner?" said a random guard

"It's because she's not a commoner she's Soling the bandit healer girl," I quickly reply. "Anyways, Balgruuf, you told me to come?"

"Yes, I have something for you." He went and reached behind his throne pulling out a sword and a leather bag. "Steel and gold. What else could a nord want?"

"Women?" I suggested to which Soling elbowed me.

The jarl just laughed

"Speaking of women," Balgruuf said. "I have assigned you a housecarl. She's a hardy and strong woman. She's already commander of the-"

"You assigned him a female housecarl?" Soling said in disbelief staring at the jarl. I pretended not to notice as the jarl started sweating.

"Well, she's very serious. I'm sure nothing will happen between them."

"Dragonborn…" she said sweetly. Too sweetly.

"Yes?" I replied

"Don't you dare!" She grabbed my collar, yanked on it, and pushed me back.

"Oh, come on! It's not like you're going to be missing."

"..."

"Riiight?"

"Well…"

I got the feeling that she was having second thoughts about me.

"Are you serious? You don't want to be with me, and you don't want me to be with anyone else. Do you want me to die alone while you go off and forget about me?" I honestly did not mind her leaving but really?

"It's just that, first there were draugrs, and now there's dragons," Soling reasoned. "It's just not my thing. Plus, I want to be on the other side of the law now. I'll go back to Kynesgrove. Do my time in prison and make up for my crimes."

"Well, I'm not going to stop you," I sighed. "But I think you already made up for anything you've done. What's the bounty...I'll pay it."

"Mm," she put a hand to her chin in thought. "Should be around a thousand and three hundred."

"How much did you steal?" the jarl asked her.

"I stole what I needed to survive!" she shot back.

"I'm not even going to question you," I said as I looked through the pouch. "Here's a thousand five hundred."

"Mm, what's with the extra two hundred?"

"I promised I would take care of you, didn't I? Should be enough for until you find a job."

"Thank you! If you don't visit me, I will find and decapitate you without giving a single shit about whether you need to save the world or not. Anyways, BYE!"

"Well, she's an odd one," the jarl whispered to me

"Who's not?"

I stood in place beside a door the jarl assigned me to wait for the thane. The thane was having a conversation with the jarl and another woman. His armour was tattered and already pretty much useless. A small piece of cloth was around his neck like a scarf. He didn't look like the noble man of honour someone would expect the thane and dragonborn to look like. He looked more like an assassin or a thief with the light clothes and dark colours, he certainly did not look like a noble man. I started to doubt my decision of becoming this man's housecarl. A housecarl is named differently than a slave but, with the oath I swore, this man can treat me however he liked and make me do his bidding without complaints, he could order me into suicide battles, he could beat me for fun and he could use me for lustful purposes. What if he was worse than my slavers from times long ago? I wouldn't even be able to escape because it was by my will that I became his housecarl. I am a nord, and I will not back out on my oath. But, will I be able to withstand old revisited pains? No, no I won't, I know that.

"Hi."

I was disturbed from my thoughts by a feminine voice. When I looked up, I saw a woman with light hair and scaled armour. She had a sword attached to her waist and a leather bag hanging on her back. It seemed like my new thane had given her all of the gifts the jarl presented him.

"I'm Soling. Are you the thane's housecarl?" She beamed.

"Yes, that's me," I replied

"Wow! You're really pretty. Let me give you some advice." Her expression changed from happy to murderous in a moment. "He's mine! You got that?"

"Yes?" I squeaked. I'm not sure how, but I think her eyes changed colour

"Good." Her smile returned. "I'm glad we got that settled." She skipped away as though nothing had happened. But I think I may have been traumatised... again

"You look shaken up," another voice said. "Just met Soling?"

When I looked up I saw the thane. A shiver went through my body. I can't appear like this on the first meeting with my thane. I quickly dropped down on one knee like the jarl had advised me.

"My thane," I said with my face down. "It is an honour to serve you." When I looked up, I saw my thane at eye level. He was kneeling down in the same fashion.

"It's an honour for me, too," he said with a light smirk on his face

"Why are you bowing down to me?" I asked. I was too confused, forgetting to show respect in my voice. He didn't seem to mind.

"Why don't you ask that to yourself," he replied. "Come on, get up." He offered me a hand as he stood up. I took it. He acts so differently than I expected.

"I need to go to Riverwood," he said as we walked out the door. "Why don't you take the rest of the money the jarl gave me and find something fun to do in the meantime."

"I am sworn to protect you and all you possess, my thane," I bowed. "Let me accompany you on your travels."

"Don't worry about me. I'll only be gone for the rest of the day." He handed me a bag from the inside of what little armour he had. "Take this gold and spend your day doing whatever you please."

"I don't dare take this, my thane."

I don't know if he was trying to trick me into doing something wrong so he could punish me later. There were too many kinds of people for me to lower my guard.

"No, I'm serious." He forced his pouch into my hand. "It's not like I'm going to use it. Take it."

I was going to push it away, but he left me standing there in the marketplace.

"Remember to have some fun!" he called back in his quick departure. "You look too serious!"


	7. What's that for?

**So I have noticed that I haven't been getting new follows or favourites since 2 chapters back. I would like to encourage those to read and enjoy my story to rate and review my story and those who did not to give advice. Writing is fun and all but everything is more difficult when you are alone**

I was worried about this housecarl. I was very worried. She was trained and looked much more capable than Soling. However, she was less worried about her own well-being. She looked younger than Soling, but those eyes tell many stories. None of which I should try to bring up with her, least not yet. I need to find a way to ensure her safety. She swore an oath to protect me with her life, but I will not allow her to be in danger because of me. I welcome my death. But I suppose that would inconvenience others.

I tried to be kind to her. Get her to open up to me more. But she seems stubborn. Like many nords, duty seems to be all that matters to her. I do not plan on asking anything of her. I will treat her best I can and perhaps one day she will be happy. Maybe then, she will realise what she has to lose. The greybeards have called me so I shall answer. Tomorrow, I will leave for the seven thousand steps.

* * *

My thane is so weird, so very weird. I hold his coins in my hand with no idea how to use them. I just realised I have never wielded money before. Even with the payments given to me in being the commander of the guard, I spend it only on keeping my house and food I eat. But now I have extra money and nowhere do I need it. I don't trust my thane. He is kind to me but that's why I don't trust him. I have never met anyone who would treat their servant with such respect. Also, his accent is light and cracking. It wasn't an accent that any men and mer I've seen possessed.

"Hey, Commander," one of the guards said. "Not wearing your whiterun armour, this your day off?"

"No," I replied. "I'm not your commander anymore."

It still felt weird being called commander by someone twice as old as me. But, in Skyrim, it doesn't matter how old you are or which family you are from. What matters most is your abilities and how you exercise them. I can respect that way of thinking, though.

"What happened?" he inquired. "Found something better? Or did you find someone better? There used to be a guy who was one of the best archers we had until he met a travelling woman and moved back to Hammerfell with her and then he-"

"I'm a housecarl for the new thane."

"Well, where's your thane then?"

"He went to riverwood."

"Gee Lydia, How can you be so irresponsible, letting your charge go off while you stay and relax. Your life is now for the purpose of keeping him safe and that purpose only. Not for… standing in the middle of the market square?"

"He insisted he be on his own. I will respect his privacy."

What I thought conflicted with what I said. But I can't admit I was wrong. What if he tells my thane or my jarl.

With my thane gone, I did the only thing I could do. He gave me money, but I don't plan on using it. What if he gets upset with how I use the money? Maybe he gave me the money just so he could punish me for it later. That doesn't matter now. I will go out of the city for a walk and await his return.

I knew my thane had returned when I saw a small crowd gather around the gates saying words such as dragonslayer and dragonborn. He made his way through by saying all of the credit is due to Irileth and her men and by refused any drinks handed to him. I pushed through the crowd to kneel to him. But I tripped as I was dropping down. I would have fallen if he hadn't reacted and caught me. I was too ashamed to look at him. A thane picking up his housecarl is not something that would help the thane's reputation all that much. I thought he would be angry with me for acting so stupid when I am in his company. I knew many others who would have expressed the emotion. I braced myself in case he intended to hit me. But he just asked if I was all right.

"You must be tired from your travels, my thane," I said to him as I pulled him by his arm. "Come to my house with me. You can rest there."

"Are you sure you don't mind? I can live in the inn if you don't want to share a house with me."

"No, my thane, it is all right." I was surprised by his answer to say the least. Why would someone like him worry about me to the point he would give up living in a real house.

"Thank you for your kindness," he said. "Also, you can call me Ma'yisha instead of 'thane' as that latter name sounds quite unfriendly."

"I am a mere servant of yours. It is only mandatory for me to address you by your title."

He put his hand on my shoulder.

"I've never met anyone who was just a servant," he said in that same accent. "Remember that." He flicked my chin with a finger.

What he said felt foreign to me. But I felt like I wanted to rest on his shoulder. I wanted to lean on him, to depend on him. Perhaps it was because I don't remember how that felt like but I knew I couldn't so I kept walking him to my house.

My house turned out to be a complete mess. There was dirt on every surface and items were scattered around. Food was rotting on the shelves. Only then did I remember how long it had been since the last time I was home. It was at least several months as I spend most of my time at the barracks. The house was a gift for becoming commander, but I never did much with it other than pay for maintenance. I dropped on both of my knees this time. He tolerated everything I have done in the past but why would a thane forgive me for something so pathetic.

"I'm sorry for this, my thane. I beg for your forgiveness and accept any punishment."

"Lydia, please" He helped me up to my feet. "Stop taking everything so seriously! I'm not mad at you and I never will be, okay!? I will not punish you, and I never will! What is it going to take for me to convince you I'm not a bad person?"

"I never thought you were a bad person."

"Yet, you constantly expect me to wrong you. Never mind that now, though. Why don't you help me clean up the kitchen so I can cook dinner?"

"You want to cook dinner?"

"Least I could do for using your house. And I found this one soup recipe from a bandit I killed earlier. Well, I suppose there isn't much ginseng here in skyrim."

"There is no need, my thane. I am here only to serve. That's what I will do."

"I think I have told you this already. I do not see you as a servant. I see you as more so I will treat you as more."

His reply made sense, yet I could not understand it. He was far from what one would expect from… anyone I guess. It was like he had something against the way people normally did things.

"Lydia," he said. "Your name is Lydia, right? I think I overheard a guard call you that earlier. Anyways, while you were um preoccupied, I finished cleaning the kitchen. Can you help me buy some food from the market while I start the fire?"

He was finished? How is that possible? But, when I looked up, the kitchen was in even better shape than when I first bought the house. The dirt was gone and the garbage was picked up… and tossed out the window in a bag. He had placed everything in the kitchen in more organized locations. However, I don't think I would be able to find anything now. It's not like I ever was able to find anything anyways.

"Lydia? I'm sorry. Is there anything wrong?"

"NO!" I burst out a lot louder than I hoped. "I mean, no. I'll go now."

"Do you need more money?"

"No, I still have all of the gold you gave me earlier."

"I thought I told you to spend it on something nice for yourself."

"I didn't want to waste your money on someone like me."

"It's your money now, not like I needed it," he waved me off. "Come back soon. I'll bet you're hungry even if you didn't even buy food for yourself."

He was right. I was hungry. So I went but, instead of thinking of what I want to eat, I tried to pick out what the thane would like to eat. But I don't think I saw him eating meat before. This is going to be hard.

I gave him the venison and various vegetables I bought. He asked me if I wanted him to roast the meat or make stew. I told him to make what would be easier for him.

"Stew it is then," I was relieved by that. I always had a liking to stew, roasted meat seems so dry. As he poured the contents of the pot into a bowl, I realised it was only enough for one bowl. He gave me the stew and sat there on his chair. Where was his food?

"Aren't you going to eat?" I asked him.

"No, I'm good. I had something before I came back," he replied. "What, you're not hungry either?"

"How can I eat in my thane's presence if he has nothing to eat?"

He stood up and picked up a spoon. Silently, he walked over to me and scooped a spoonful of soup. Instead of putting it towards his mouth, he put it to mine.

"Like this," he said, his tone softening. I accepted the food. I was almost sure I blushed as the food entered my mouth. I felt pathetic. I was a housecarl, and my thane was spoon-feeding me. But the taste protected me from any negative emotions.

"What's with the face? It doesn't taste that bad does it?"

"No," I said. "It's delicious."

"Aw, how heartwarming."

His word sounded true but his tone didn't change much.

"Anyways," he said. "I'm off to bed and you should go, too."

"Thank you for your concern," I replied.

When I reached the upstairs, I realised he had taken the smaller bedroom. It was in a terrible state. I never even bothered to furnish it. The bedroom consisted of only a wooden bed with some hay on it and a piece of fur. He was already asleep with his head on his hands and didn't seem to mind it. I am a bad housecarl for letting him sleep there, but I would be a worse one if I awoke him. I lay on the larger bed with springs and layers of cloth and cotton. I fell asleep with guilt and anxiety in my heart.

* * *

The strange man led me to the house. I heard him talking to my mother while I hid in my room. My mother pushed me towards him reluctantly, tears in her eyes. She said I had to go with him. Father was not here and there was no other way. She promised the man would treat me well and would secure me a future as long as I worked for him around the house. I was so young and ignorant thus I believed her. I believed that there were good people who did things for others. The nine years I spent with her were secluded, and I met no one other than the small amount of people in my family. I hid my pain as I walked with the man. I understood my mother had no choice in the matter. It truly was the only way to keep both of us alive.

Before I even heard the slam of the door behind me, I was chained in a position I didn't know I was capable of being in beforehand.

"What are you doing?" I gasped through breathes. I was answered by a slap across the right side of my face. Tears and blood alike fell to the floor.

"You are my property now," said a stern voice. "You have no right to speak without my permission."

I didn't reply. I was too afraid of what would happen if I did. He removed a piece of iron from a fire I didn't even notice was there. It was an iron rod with a flat circular end. The end was in a strange shape, a symbol perhaps. It was red hot and gently exhausting grey smoke into the room. I knew what those were for but tried not to believe that it was meant for me.

"What is that for?" I asked weakly, the sight of the tool taking away my memory of the advice the man had given me. He took no hesitation to remind in the same way as before.


	8. Normal Morning

**Yes, I suppose this chapter is a little late. Well, no one really reads this anyways, I can't say I'm surprised though. I never was good at writing, actually I was never good at anything. Anyways, I'll make sure the next chapter comes earlier, I had a lot on my mind these days between exams and that one part in watch dogs where- actually I'm not going to spoil anything but I will say it made me really sad for a week.**

* * *

He stood behind me and, with one swift movement, tore off the ragged clothes I was wearing. I knew I had no chance, but nevertheless I struggled against the chains. Nevertheless, the chains were so tight he didn't even notice my effort. The tool was pressed onto my skin right below the waist on my back. My skin melted and my flesh sizzled. My throat burned, but I wasn't sure if I screamed; I couldn't hear anything, I couldn't even think, there was just pain... a lot of pain.

"LYDIA!" The voice of my thane woke me from my nightmare. I looked over at him. He was shirtless and wearing nothing but the pants he wore inside his clothes. I looked up and down his person, there were too many scars to count. Some of them looked like they had pierced through his body. Yet he looked so comfortable. I wanted to grab him, to cry into his chest, and have him comfort me and keep me safe from those people, those monsters. I pushed down my desire and tears. I could still feel the pain from the iron and the betrayal. I quickly sat up and scooted away from my thane.

"I'm sorry," I quickly said, my voice shaky and cracking. "Did I wake you? Please go back to sleep. You need rest. You can do what you wished to do tomorrow." I wouldn't be able to stand having him continue to see me in this state. Just leave, leave me alone… please.

"You are in no condition to worry about my problems," he said sitting on the bed next to me. "Tell me what's wrong."

"It's just a dream, I swear," I said, my emotions threatening to show even more. "Don't be worried by such trivial matters. Please leave me be, my thane, I'll be fine." Please don't leave me like this

"I can see it in your eyes," he said. "Don't hurt yourself like this, Lydia. I can help you… let me help you."

That was too much. I was already at the edge. He gave me his permission. It was not my place and it will never be my place. I was breaking my oath and tradition. But I am weak. I threw myself onto him and buried my face into his chest. And I cried, my tears pouring onto his chest. He just held me there. He said and did nothing other than accept me. His embrace could not rid me of the pain but balanced it with comfort. I'm not sure how long it was until I was able to calm down, but when I did I sat up and faced away.

"I'm sorry for what I did. I must be anxious about having a new master," I said purely on reflex. "It won't happen ever again. I promise not to bother you anymore."

"Don't make that promise. This was good for both you and me. Tell me, do you feel better?"

"Yes," I said.

"That's what matters the most."

"Please go back to sleep. You need it."

"Alright, got it," he pat my shoulder "I'll go back to bed now. See you in the morning"

I turned to watch him walk away. I wanted to go and pull him back. I wanted him to stay with me and protect me from the nightmares. Instead, I just watched. He stopped at the door frame and turned around.

"Unless," he turned back to face me, "you want me to stay with you for the night."

"Please," I quickly curled up as that word escaped my lips. I shouldn't have said that. I should had told him I'm fine. He walked over slowly. I don't know if I wanted him to walk faster or to turn around. He went to the same position he was before and pulled me close. I moved into the same position as when I cried. I could still feel the dampness of my tears on his chest.

"I'm here now," he whispered into my year. "I will be here as long as you want me to be."

I was too tired to respond. I just fell asleep. This was so wrong, but it felt so right.

* * *

Lydia was asleep, but I was far from it. The dream she had worried me greatly. A nightmare no matter how bad should not be able to do this do a person. I thought over what happened. I immediately realised the importance of a minor detail. She told me that she was anxious about having a new master. She called me a master. Despite my constant offers to her calling me by my name, she still continued to call me thane. But never had she called me master. Not once. But this dream she had had changed that. I heard a man say that people cannot create new people in their dreams. My hand slid down her back unintentionally. Then I felt a scar. It wasn't a normal scar. It was a burn scar. I traced my fingers around the scar. It was such a weird shape and was definitely not natural. I heard her wince so I withdrew my hand. I did not examine the mark, but I had a suspicion where it had come from. I gently placed her head onto the pillow and left the house hoping that my suspicion was wrong. But… I knew better.

I woke up alone in a cold bed. I reached over to the other side hoping to feel my thane's touch. I felt nothing. I was relieved and disappointed at the same time. I darted from my bed to the ground quickly putting on my underclothes, deciding to put on my armour later. The door to the other room was closed. He must had retreated back to that room after comforting me.

"Comforting me." That thought still burned through my heart. The worst part wasn't that I needed his help, but that I accepted and that I loved it. I disgust myself sometimes.

I went down the stairs two steps at a time hurrying to make breakfast in an act of appreciation for everything he has done for me. Instead, he was sitting at one of the chairs at the table holding a bowl in one hand.

"Take a seat by the fire, I'm almost done breakfast." He said without looking my way

Perhaps I should have put on my armour after all. I felt my face heating up as I realised I was wearing nothing other than my underwear, wait that's what I wore last night, so does that mean I slept with my thane naked? I wanted to go back to put on clothes, but he asked me to sit by the fire so I did not delay obeying him. He handed me the bowl and a spoon and paused a little when he saw me, he pursed his lip and continued. The contents of the bowl were strange. It was soft and squishy but it looked like bread.

"What's this?"

"I don't know what it's called in your language. It was quite popular back in Elsweyr. It's basically a combination of ale and about half of Whiterun's sugar supply."

"You're from Elsweyr? That explains your strange name and accent." I realised the words that came out of my mouth all too late. I must had gotten too used to my thane. I put down the food before I began eating to apologise. He just smiled at me. As friendly as he seems, I think this may have been the first time I saw him smile.

"I know. I've had a lot of people mistake me for a cat when talking to me through a door. Anyway, what's the matter? Does the food smell bad? It tastes better than it smells...or maybe I put in the wrong ingredients again. Lydia what's the different between an ale and a mead?"

"No, no, it's not that." Why do I always find a way to insult my thane? "I'll continue eating now." I picked up the spoon and filled it with a bit of what my thane had cooked for me. It was sweet and had another strange taste. It was good despite the foreign taste.

"I was afraid it would taste horrible. I guess the giant's toe wasn't a bad idea, after all."

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT

"Okay, that might have ended up a little less funny than I thought it would be. I take it these kinds of jokes aren't your repertoire?" He said wiping off some of my spit from his face

Oh gods. I just spit on my thane. How did I manage to offend my thane in less than two days more than I have offended Jarl Balgruuf in all these years?

"You look like your entire family was murdered . Calm down. I didn't put giant toes in it. Didn't come back without a head to haunt you either." He began cleaning bits and pieces off his face. How do I respond to that? I need to apologise without being straightforward.

"What are you going to eat?" I blurted. Good job, Lydia. You are a genius.

"I ate already," he responded.

"When did you wake up?"

"Few hours before sunrise," he said. That meant he hardly slept or didn't sleep at all after he came into my room.

"My thane, how can you sleep so little?" I asked, although it sounded more aggressive than I hoped. "You need your sleep to keep your health."

"What?"

"I said, 'my thane, you should-"

"Sorry can't understand you. I think you are using a word I'm not familiar with." After a few moments of thinking, I began talking again.

"Myshai, you need to get some sleep. Sleeping so little is not good for you."

"Ah there we go. That was… not really my name but a lot better than thane isn't it? I don't need that much sleep. I've been sleeping four hours a day for years."

I wondered if he was going to talk to me about what happened last night.

I wondered if I should talk to her about last night. There are memories best left forgotten, but a wound only hurts more when you hide it instead of treating it. Then again, how do I expect to mend an injury so severe? I carefully eyed her over, looking for a sign of emotion. Any emotion at this point. But her face never changed. Must be hiding everything from me like what a true housecarl should do. I do not consider myself one who would follow tradition. It seemed to me like tradition supressed people's potential and forged them into something entirely unlike themselves. I wonder if I were meant to become the person I was today. The events that shaped me were anything but expected but, then again, anything is possible.

"My thane," Lydia began. I raised an eyebrow at her

"I mean, Ma'yisha. You looked like you are troubled by something. Would you tell me so I can share your burden?"

"I can't trouble you with my own burdens if I let you suffer through your own. Lydia, will you-"

"I'm sorry, Ma'yisha, I cannot." This is going to be a problem further on

"I understand," I smiled again. Smiling was uncomfortable as it was not natural on my face. But it seemed to calm Lydia so I kept doing it. "I'll be right back. There are two cloaks I put in the shelf for the both of us. Why don't you pick one you like?"

I picked up the daggers and sword I left to dry in the sun. The blacksmith here was better than the one in Riverwood. I recreated some designs and she made the weapons quickly and flawlessly. Almost as though to disagree, the blade of a dagger fell out of the hilt as I attempted to pick it up. I signed as I stuck the other daggers into their respective positions on my undershirt. I kept my sword in my hand inside of on my shirt. The sword was usually kept outside for easier usage.

Lydia looked at my sword with a confused expression as I walked in.

"Problem?"

"No, my thane," she responded, bowing her head. "I was just curious, that's all."

"About what?" I raised an eyebrow. "If you have a question, I might be able to answer it."

"Your sword is curved. I've only seen curved swords from the redguards, but theirs are huge." An immature joke came to mind but I decided against saying it

"It's actually pretty effective, it's an akaviri design which was mixed was the old khajiit cleavers. Here you take a look." I tossed her the sword and sheath together. She pulled out the blade and ran her hand across it, cutting her hand in the process. I sighed and found some soft linen to wrap her hand.

"I should have probably warned you about that," I said as I finished the knot. "But at least you know how sharp it is now."

"Thank you, my thane," she said with a soft voice.

"Pardon?"

"Thank you, Ma'yisha. I'm sorry for relying on you so much." She bowed to which I responded with pulling her up.

"Lydia, we are friends now. If you can't accept that, then at least we are allies. We will help each other and be helped by each other. We will have no regrets in doing so."

"Thank you for your consideration towards me, my thane."

Damn. Didn't work

"Are we leaving now?" she asked me.

"If you want to,"

She picked up what little she planned to bring but I stopped her. She looked up at me in confusion.

"Clothing is a requirement for walking the city streets, is it not?"


End file.
